Electric clock.



H. GILLETTE.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED 001.21, 1912 1,078,274, Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. GILLETTE.

smzcmuc CLOCK.

APPLYIGATION TILED OUT. 21,1912. 1,078,27 Patented N0v.11, 1913.

3 SHEIJTS SHEHT 2.

H. GILLETTE.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLXGATION YILED 00121, 1912.

1,078274, Pafiented Nov. 11, 1913.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3. 9, 03

ljli a medium of a HABLEIGH GILLETTE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1 1, 1.913.

Application filed October 21, 1912. Serial No. 726,890.

To all wit 011i, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hammon GiLLa'rrn,'

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a newand useful- Improvementin. Electric Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of electric-clock systems wherein a master-clock'actuates a secondary clock, in circuit with it, at uniform intervals, and an electric cut-out device is interposed in the circuit.

The primary object of my invention is to economize in electric current by opening the circuit instantaneously, after each closure thereof by the master-clock, through the double-contactdevice" in the circuit with a double cut-out device extraneous of the secondary clock and ada )ted to control any desired number of secondary clocks in said circuit,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is-a viewin vertical sectional front elevation of a secondary, electric clock; Fig. 2 is a broken plan view showing a pawl-locking device for the minutes-wheel of the secondary-cloclo train; Fig, 3 is a broken section onthe irregular line 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view in front elevati n of'the electric cut-out device; Fig. 5 i a section on the irregular line 5, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of a double-contact device actuated by the primary clock;.Fig. 7 is an enlar ed se'ction on. line 7, Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is abroien section on line 8, Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is 'a diagrammatic viewshqwing the mastor-clock, with the contact device, the cutout device and a series of secondary clocks included in an electric-generator circuit.

Any known orsuitable construction of secondary electric clock 10 may be used, but the construction thereof illustrated in Figs. '1 to 3, inclusive, is preferred, and is described as follows: '1 he frame comprises a rear plate 11 and a similar front plate 12, both widening toward their lower ends, as shown of the plate in Fig. l, and connected three spaclng-menibers, as shown at 13. The clock-train includes the minutes-wheel 14 in ratchet-form, above which is supported, on the inner face of the front frameplate, an electromagnet 15 having terminals of its coils connected by insulated wires 16 and 17 respectively .with brass strips 18 and 19 on an insulating block 20 secured upon the uppermost spacing-member 13 and carrying a condensing-coil 21, having its terminals connected with the strips 18 and 19, respectively. The armature 22 of the electromag net is secured at one end on a rockshaft 23 journaled on the frame-members to extend across the pole-piece of one spooland adjacent to a side of the pole-piece of the other spool. To the under side of the pivotal armature is rigidly secured a brass bar 24 having a downwardly-inclined rear-end section 24 extending adjacent to an' adjustable stop 25 through a longitudinally sp'lit stud 26 projecting from the inner face of the frameplate 12. The bar'24 inclines'slightly in,a downward direction toward its opposite, forward end, where it carries pivotally a pawl 27 to engage the teeth of the minuteswheel and having a spring-connection 28 with the bar. A pivotal detent is shown at 29 for the wheel 14. A longitudinally-split stud 30, projecting from the frame-member 11, has a screw 31 extending transversely through it into the path of the free end of the pawl 27, toward which it inclines. The

urpose of this screw is to afford an adustable lock for the pawl to prevent the wheel 14 from being turned by jarring or momentumbeyondthe extent of one tooth with each drop of the armature when released by denergizing the electromagnet, after it has been energized as hereinafter described. This is effected by the pawl, in its movement against the wheel to turn it, encountering the inner end of the screw, which binds it against the upwardly-inclining edge 'of the adjacent wheel-tooth and thus wedges it against the wheel to lock the latter against undue turning, thereby assuring accuracy in the work of the minuteshand (shown dotted in Fig. 9) on the shaft 14 carrying the wheel 14.

Of the master-clock,- dinary general construction and therefore requires no detailed illustration or description herein, only the escapement is shown (F ig. 9). The seconds-wheel 32 is shown to be provided about its shaft with a inion 33 meshing with a toothed wheel 34 o twice the diameter of that of the pinion, journaled directly below the latter and carrying a stud 35 eccentric of and closely adjacent to its shaft 36 to cooperate with the double-contact device 37 illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, and described as follows;

which may be of or screwing transversely 1 25 s'spiral spring 50 resil ently tying-1t to the shaftdG. i

plained, a contact-head 43. The bracket has secured to the face of its'stc in-port-ion, near the upper, laterally-enlarged end thereof,

- an arm 44 provided in its outer angular end with ascrew-bearing 45' for one end of a pivot-shaft 46," the oppositeend of which engages a similar bearing 45 provided in the bracket 38. .The shaft 4 arr'ies a switch-arm 47 having a bifurc'z'ted upper end, at which it embraces the stud' 35, this varm being formed on its lower end with a forward hook-shaped projection 48, against diametrically-opposite points in the under surface of-whichabut pivotally the pointed ends of a fork itQcarried by the head 43.

This head is held in its pivotallysnapping f" I: so

engagement 'with the-projection 48- by a F romthe foregoing description of the device '37, it' will be seen that the head 43 is alwaysin contact with one-or the other-ofthe points 41, 1:2,and that turning the arm 47-. to carry the forked head 43 beyond the a dead-center betweehthe two contact points permits resilient buckling action on the head .of-the spring 50 to. snap .'the-=contact-point opposite the one toward which it isso carried.

. ,Tlie double cut-Out device-51 is constructthe head against ed as most clearly shown -irrFigs. 4 and 5. On a suitable base 52, of insulating material, occupying theposition relative to the mas- -ter-clock and device 37 represented iii Tfig. 9,.and.extraneously of. the secondary clocks, are supported two 'electromagnets 53 and 54 having a common. armaturefifi pivotally supported-midway between its ends on a bracket 56 secured to the face of the.base to carry the elcctromagnets. The armature extends across the polespieces of the two innermost spools and between the pole-pieces ofdihe twofouter spools, with its ends closely adjacent to-the last-named pole-pieces. Between the two inner spools the armature has rigidly secured to its under side a brass bloclc57, fromwhich depends a bifurcated.

switch finger 58, preferably of copper, formed with a forwardly-projecting angular hcad 5S yieldingly' supported by a spiral spring 59 coufinedagainst it. by :1 depending screw (30 surrounded by the spring and pass- 'ing centrally through the angular head to work in the block 57 foradjusting the tension of the. spring. On the base 52,4'n the path of the bifurcated lower-end portion of the finger 53, are contact-members Cl and 62,

separated by an intervening space at their opposing ends, and fastened to the base, respectively, by bindingposts G3 and 6- with which the terminals of the inner mag net-spools are connected, those of the outer spools being respectively connected with binding-posts and 66 on plates 67 secured on the base. The head 58 has an insulated-wire connection at 68 with the metal bracket 56. i As will be understood from the foregoing description, by alternately ener izing the electromagnets 54 and 53, the resu ta-nt rocking movements of their armature'turns the finger 58 from one to the other of-the contact-members 62, 61, thereby cutting out of circuit one of the electromagnets; and in the event ofthe finger becoming obstructed from any cause, as by corrosion, causin 'it to adhere to a contact-member, its vresi iencygdue to the spring 59 will, under the armature-- movements, force its separation frdm such contact-member. In use, my improved double-contact -and double cut-out devices 'areincluded'with. a master-clock and two secondary clocks""(tlie number of which' latter may,however, be

any desired), in an electric circuit yVhich. maybe traced on the diagrammatic 'r'epresentation in Fig. 9, as followsz from one 9E pole of a enerator, indicated at 69, over .wire w to t e armature 55, from the opposite generatonpole over wire w through. the electromagnets 15 of the series of secondary clocks to the pivot-shaft 46 of the arm 47, over wire 11; connecting one bearing 40 with the metal plate 67 carrying the. bindingpost (55, and wire w connecting the other bearing' tt) with the similar plate carrying the binding-post 6G. 7

The operation is as follows: With the parts in the relative positions represented in Fig. 9, the circuit is broken at 7.0 and 71. Each complete rotation of the secondswheel 32 will turn the shaft 36 through a 0 half-revolution. In the half-revolution of the wheel 34 from the position illustrated, the stud 35 is carried about the shaft 36 to bear against. the side of the bifurcated end of the arm 47 opposite that against which it is shown tobear in the drawing. Continued movement of the stud" turns the arm 47 past the dead-center,.whereuponthe spring 50 snaps the pivotal head 43. against the contact-point t2, This closes the circuit over wire -w,-arin 58, through electromagnet 54, wire 11:, arm 4-7, and wire is, thereby energizing the electromagnet, 15 of each secondary clock to attract its armature. A Ihis closure of the circuit also energizes the electromagnet 54 of the device 51 to attract the armature 55 and thus turn the finger 58 into engagement with the contact-member (31, thereby opening the circuit and de-' energizing the electromagnct l5, whereupon.

. arm 47a onds-whellofthe master-clock, the wheel 34 completi es another half-revolution, the

stud- 35 wigs in the same way against the opposite si e of the bifurcated end of the snap-a m head 43 against the contact point42, tiiereby closing the circuit over wire w, through electromagnet 53, over arm 58, wire 10" ar 47,-and wire on, to again energize the (or each), electromagnet 15, and the'electromagnet 53 to turnthe finger 58 into engagement with the contact-member 62,thus again opening the circuit and causing, in the' mannemdescribed, another movementof'the (or-each) secondaryyclo'ck min uteS hand. It wilt; thus be seenthat each time the circuit is c osed to energize the secondary-clock 1 elec; omagnet, it remains closed only for an instant, when it is opened and kept open' during nearly the entire minute-intervals, thereby greatly economizing in electric current. The circuit remains closed only long enough .to attract the armatures. The electromagnet- 15 acts momentarily ahead of the electromagnet 53 or 54 in circuit with it, in attracting its armature 22, because it differs fronithem in the number of turns in its coil.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction thus specifically shown and described, and I do not intend by illustrating a-single specific or preferred embodiment of my invention to be limited thereto; my intention being in the appended claims to claim protection upon all the novelty there may be in my invention a: broadly as the state of the art will permit. What I claim as'ne'w and desire to .secure by Letters Patent .is

1. In combination with a master-clock and a secondary electric clock having an electromagnet' and an armature-driven minuteswheel, an electric circuit containing said electromagnet, a double electric-contact de- \ice in said circuit actuated by the masterclock' to operate said secondary clock, and a double electric cut-out device having its own electroniagnets in the circuit, actuated by each operation of said contact-device to open the circuit.

2. In combination with a master-clock and a secondary electiic clock having an electroniagnct and an armature-driven minuteswheel, an electric circuit, containing said electroniagnet, a double electric-contact device in the circuit, comprising opposing contact-points'and a coiitact-makin pivotal device working in opposite directions between them by -successive complete rotations of the master-clock seconds-wheel to close the circuit by each movement of said devic nd o crate said secondary clock, and a.double.

e ectric cut-out device having its own electromagnets in the circuit, actuated by each operation of said contact-device to open the circuit.

3. In combination -w1th a master-clock havin a secondswheel, and a secondary electric clock having an electromagnet and an armature-driven minutes-wheel, an c1ec-- tric circuit containing said electromagneti an eccentric stud'driven by said seconds-w eel about a central axis tomake a half-revolution in each complete rotation of the secends-wheel, a double electric contact-device in the circuit having a pivotal bifurcated switch-arm embracing said stud, and a double electric cut out device having its own electromagnets inft-he circuit actuated to open the latter by each throw of said arm.

- 4; In combination with a master-clock haviiig a secondsawheel-car'rying concentrically a pinion, and a secondary electric clock having'an electromagnet and an armaturedriven minutes-wheel, an electric circuit containing said electromagnet, a"'to'ot-hed wheel of twice the diameter of and meshing with said pinion'and carrying an eccentric stud, a double electric-contact device in the circuit, having a pivotal bifurcated switcharm embracing said stud, and a double electric cut-out device having its own electromagnets in thecircuit actuated to open the latter by each throw of said arm.

5. In combination with a master-clock having a seconds-wheel, and a secondary electric clock having an electromagnet and an armature-driven minutes-wheel, an electric circuit containing said electromagnet, an eccentric stud driven by said seconds-wheel about an axis to make a half-revolution in each complete rotation of the seconds-wheel, a double electric-contact device in the circuit, comprising a pair of opposing contactpoints, a pivotal bifurcated switch-arm embracing said stud, aiid a contactanaking spring-snapped head pivotally connected with said arm to work between the contactpoints and close the circuit each movement of said arm, and a double electric cutout device having its own electroinagnets in the circuit actuated to open the latter by each throw of said arm. 1

In combination with a master-clock having a seconds-wheel and a secondary electric clock having an electromagnet and an armature-driven minutes-wheel, an eccentric stud driven by said seconds-wheel about an axis to make a half-revolution in each complete rotation of the seconds-\vlieel,an electric circuit containing said electromagnet, 11 double electric-contact device in the circuit, comprising a bracket carrying op and; a forked contact-head between said points having a spring-connection with the arm-pivoting shaft abuttingly holding sa d head pivotally against said. finger, and a I double electric cut-out device having its own electromag ets in, the eircuit actuated. to open the latter by each throw of the switchi 'ati 're-jdriven minutescircuit containing said an electric le'ctro agi t,-fii-jdfiiible*electridcontact dew- Tlwas't -d n a econdary'electri cloclhavi ig-an elect-rotwo .electiomagnets and a pair of spaced cntactmenibers interposed in thecircuit between said cloeks, each contact-member being connected with one electromagnet, a pivotal armature for said electrom'agnets and a switch-finger spring-connected with said armature to extend therefrom and engage by its movements said contact-members alternately.

9. In combination with a master-clock and 'a. secondary electric clock having anelectro- V magnet and an armature driven minutes- :wheel, an electric circuit containing said electroniagnet, a double electric-contact de 4 vice in said circuit actuated by the masterclock' to operate the secondary clock and a double. electric cut-out device comprising two elehtromagnets and a pair of spaced contact-members interposed-in the circuit between said clocks, each contact-member being connectedwith one electromagnet, a pivotal armature-common to both electr0- v 'inagnet's, and a bifurcated switch-finger; "having a pivotal spring-connection'wit-h said-armature tojextend therefrom and en- ;j jgage by its movements said contact-members alternately.

HA'RLEIGH GILLETTE.

. 1 In presence of E. DfSTEELn, V i a f 'JULIUS-LA NDESMA Y .-r. I 

